Missing something.....

When we first began our hobby with the properties, we had dreams of restoring our now 105 yr old house. That was 24 yrs ago. Seems all our time now is spent fixing the rental units. I insist though that I get some time out in my garden. What would I do without that little piece of land out back that I can call all my own. There I can create, reconnect and toil in the dirt and in my mind. There was a time when all I could think about was what I could be creating in my beds. I yearned to make it my haven.

I miss that. That feeling of being so lost in something so enjoyable. And it has been the last couple days that I feel so apathetic about all the work we do at the rentals and how much time we spend doing it, and what gratification does it bring us anymore?

When we first started this hobby it was because of our love of old houses. And there were so many around Waterloo abandoned and needing love. I painted houses during the summers because I was a stay-at-home mom. The first house we bought was right next door to one I was painting. (they had me paint it BLUE!!!) A beautiful old home with massive porch pillars and grand woodwork inside.

Years prior, there had been a fire and the roof was never repaired so from much rain, the inside was in need of lots of work.

We were young, with very little credit. Those were the years when times were tough- high interest rates, no banks looking to loan money to any young unexperienced rookies. We came up with the $2000 to buy it. But with no one to lend us money to fix it up, we had to let it go. Before we did, we left with the porch pillars, most of the woodwork and hardwood flooring. In just a few short years, the city tore the house down. What a shame...with our love, it could have been a grand home again.

And that was our first property.